Sassy the beagle was staying with foster parents April Smith and Hope Wilson in Brentwood. They had been fostering the dog they called "Jenny" for two months before she needed to see a veterinarian for a cough.

Last Saturday, Smith took the dog to a vet on McKnight Road. When they asked for paperwork on the dog, she explained she's fostering the animal that was picked up from a shelter in Kentucky.

The vet decided to check if the dog had a microchip, which stunned Smith.

"I said, 'I'm not thinking that she's microchipped because otherwise I would think she would have been found by her owner by now and wouldn't have ever been in the shelter. But they scanned her and sure enough, microchipped," said Smith.

"I was in total disbelief. They said, 'Yeah, she is, and her name is Sassy.' And as soon as they said 'Sassy' her head turned. And I said, 'Are you Sassy?' And her tail started wagging right away."

Sassy's rightful owner was immediately contacted in Louisville, Ky., and that's when the pieces of the story started falling into place.

Cindy Romans said she left her dog with a family member while she went on vacation in October 2012. While she was gone, Sassy left the house for a routine trip to the backyard and was never seen again. Romans assumed the worst, especially since so much time had passed.

"(The veterinarian) said, 'You're never going to believe what I'm going to tell you.' And I said, 'What's that?' And he said, 'I just got a call from a woman in Pennsylvania and she's got Sassy.' And I said, 'No way! In Pennsylvania?'" said Romans.

Somehow, Sassy ended up in the Boyd County Animal Shelter in Kentucky, according to Romans, which she said is a kill shelter.

That's where Sassy was saved by members of Forever Home Beagle Rescue, Inc., based in Pittsburgh. The rescue group was started by Rich and Julie Stoops. They have members in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky who save animals before they're euthanized in hopes to place them with a forever home.

Sassy was saved and partnered with Smith in Brentwood. Their main question now: Why was Sassy never checked before for the microchip? WTAE contacted the animal shelter in Kentucky and is waiting for a response.

Now, Sassy's next stop is back to her home in Kentucky.

"Everyone has been such an angel with her, and I will never, ever, ever, ever be able to thank them enough for the wonderful care they're giving her," said Romans. "I would love for every pet owner who has ever lost a pet to be able to feel this moment right now. I'm just over the moon excited."